Camelback Mountain Hike - Echo Canyon Trailhead

Let's get this out of the way; I love Camelback Mountain. This was one of the main trails that got me into hiking. I drove past it a million times and always said "One of these days I'm going to climb that thing." One day I did. It was hard. I struggled. But I made it. And, more importantly, I loved it. Next thing I knew, I was running up and down it to see how fast I could make it to the top and back.

If you watch my other videos, you probably know that's not really how I hike anymore. But it's a good analogy of how these Phoenix hikes are. Camelback Mountain is surrounded by a sprawling city. It has houses and resorts on the base of it. Camelback Mountain is not a wilderness experience.

But that's OK. I've been doing a lot of these local hikes lately and they are more about the exercise and the sense of accomplishment than solitude and wilderness. Which is fine sometimes. Beats the heck out of a treadmill.

I originally planned to do the full Camelback through hike, starting at the Cholla trailhead and coming out the Echo Canyon trailhead. Unfortunately, the Cholla trail was closed for maintenance when I was there. This caused a dilemma. See, there is plenty of parking along Invergordon Road if you go in on the Cholla trailhead side. Echo Canyon, by contrast, is notorious for it's small, overly crowded parking area. And the neighbors are not too keen about hikers parking along their streets, so parking outside the parking lot is a good way to have your car towed or ticketed. But I was there and figured I would give it a try. And I lucked out. At 11AM. On a weekend.

It's been a while since I climbed Camelback Mountain. Every time I do, I think it will be no problem since I've done it so many times before. And every time I get to the handrail section at Echo Canyon, I'm reminded that Camelback Mountain is steep, rugged and it will kick your butt. But that's part of the appeal.

I had an added treat on this trip. I've never noticed it before, but there is a secret cave on Camelback, just off the main trail. At around the .19 marker going uphill, look to your left. You'll see a "beware of bees" sign. Walk past the sign and the cave is straight ahead. The secret cave is none too secret. There was a line there when I went. And once you've done it, it is painfully obvious from the trail, and you'll wonder how you didn't see it before.

And that's it. A couple more steep, boulder filled chutes and you're at the top. There are great views all around, not to mention you'll feel like you really accomplished something. If you have not checked out Camelback Mountain and you're in Phoenix (or visiting), check it out.

NOTE: The desert is hot. There is no water or shade on the trail. Seems every year people get in trouble on Camelback. It's especially bad as apparently a lot of hotels tell out of town guests to check it out. And if you are not used to the Phoenix desert, you have no idea how dangerous it is. This hike is best done in the cooler months and you need to bring plenty of water.

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